‘Knew family audience would like our film’: Kousalya Supraja Rama director Shashank intv

It has been nearly two weeks since the release of director Shashank’s Kousalya Supraja Rama, a well-made Kannada film whose protagonist is a privileged man grappling with the idea of patriarchy and progressive gender politics. The film is doing well at the box office, with family audiences showing up in droves to see a conventionally masculine ‘macho’ man Ram (Krishna) — who only knows how to be loved but never learned how to love — turn into a sensitive, caring person. Helping him in this transformation are his mother Kousalya (a superb Sudha Belavadi), the sprightly Shivani (Brinda Acharya) and rebellious Muthulakshmi (Milana Nagaraj), besides his tolerant cousin Santhu (Nagabhushana NS).  Kousalya is the pivot of the film. She’s a long-suffering woman who tolerates her husband’s physical and verbal abuse, while trying to convince her son (who is fast turning into his father) that people change over time. She’s a stereotypical, sacrificing mother, but her character takes on new life in the audience’s mind once her son understands all that she did for him. Making this kind of a family drama at a time when toxic masculinity is celebrated on screen is quite a leap of faith. In a conversation with TNM, director Shashank speaks about how he structured Kousalya Supraja Rama and the many conscious choices that went into the film, while actors Krishna, Milana and Brinda talk about how they approached their respective roles. Shashank, the non-judgemental tone of Kousalya Supraja Rama is refreshing. Why did you decide to stick to this line of storytelling? I’d like to believe I am a non-judgemental person. I give my opinion but don’t judge others’ choices, and I don’t like it when others do that either. Cinema too is an opinion. We cannot pass judgements through a film, we can merely state our opinion. It is up to the audience as to how they perceive it. While you never desist from showcasing Ram’s male ego, you never glorify it. Was that a conscious call? Yes, it was. My hero is Ram, yes, but my story is about how he realises his follies, and how he works towards becoming a better person. My intention is not to tell all men to be like the college-going version of Ram. Writer Yadunandan and I felt the same way about this.  I’ve seen many people around me behave the way Ram initially does. We learn such behaviour from parents and society, or through social conditioning. Even I don’t particularly like what I was like some decades ago. I’ve been a Ram too. I did try to be in control in the initial years of my marriage, because I didn't know any better.  But over the years, maturity and awareness tempered me. They helped me understand the effect of that ego on others, especially mothers. That tempted me to choose this topic for a film. While narrating my protagonist’s story, I will tend to defend him, but the conflict is important. That conflict is his behaviour and the influence of masculinity as learned from his father. I needed to make a point, with some force, which is why his character’s journey changes so much in the second half. Can you let someone get away with bad behaviour? Karma has to bite back. Ram too has to pay for his behaviour, and that makes his journey interesting.  There were mixed reactions to the trailer… Yes, many young women in my circle asked me how a ‘hero’ could behave this way. They wondered why I made such a film, after treating women with respect in my earlier films. But, I did not want to reveal the twist in the trailer itself. My only reply was to watch the film and then talk about it. I knew the film would persuade them in a way that I could not. To show something good and to have a positive reinforcement effect, you need to show why the alternative is bad. And that’s what I did too. Against this backdrop, did the response to Kousalya Supraja Rama surprise you? No. I knew the film would definitely strike a chord with family audiences. They were waiting for such a film. But, watching a film is a personal experience. Some people felt that despite all I showed, the film did showcase the hero’s perspective. Which is correct, because I narrated it from his point of view. I wanted him to realise what a ‘real man’ is on his own, and not with someone else’s help. That would have made it boring. These inner journeys are much more full of depth. There’s a line in the film about how when we receive anything, we should see if we can give back as much. Yes, think about it. As a man, you take so much, you receive so much from a woman. But, what do you give back? How do we repay or return the abundance of love and affection they shower? Kousalya is what you could call a typical mother, yet she’s the reason for the change in Rama… Kousalya represents that generation of mothers who only knew to give, and did not know any better. They were like sponges, absorbing everyone’s anger and every crisis, without ever venting out. No one ever saw someone like Kousalya as a person with her own desires, beyond being a wife and a mother. Even her own child takes her for granted. But, despite all that, she only has love to give. No one ever asks her what she wants.  Yet, it is these very character traits that change Ram, and make him a better person. He finally realises how much he’s shortchanged her. Were you at any stage worried about how Kousalya Supraja Rama would be seen by men? It does not exactly handle them with kid gloves, and shows them the mirror… I did not have any doubt about acceptance for the film. I believe that until the question arises, people won’t search for an answer. They keep perpetuating male domination and chauvinism, because no one has stopped them and told them that it is plainly wrong. If there’s no opposition, how will anyone progress? I would like to believe that all sensible men will back the film. The writing of the female leads has a certain feminine gaze to it. How did you get that right? My writing and direction team did not have any women, but writer Yadunandan and I knew this life intimately. We’ve seen the women in our families suffer and suppress their emotions. I tapped into all that my friends have told me over the years, about how they wished to be seen.  People have been exiting cinema halls saying the movie did not force them to think but nudged them to. That is a hat tip to the writing and script. How long did you work on it? I am very touched when I hear such things. I first thought of the idea on last International Women’s Day – March 8, 2022. The papers and television were full of programmes for women. Every day, we set aside one day for women and presume it’s fine to not think about them during the rest of the year. I felt they needed to be appreciated better. Hence, the film.  Brinda Acharya plays Shivani in Kousalya Supraja Rama, a modern young woman who is hopelessly in love with Ram but also knows when to prioritise her own happiness. Brinda has previously appeared in the 2021 film Premam Poojyam. Here’s what she had to say about playing Shivani.  Krishna and Brinda in Kousalya Supraja Rama  Shivani is someone who’s full of life and love, yet chooses to move away from Ram. How did you see your character? I saw her as a bridge between tradition and modernity. She’s initially willing to make adjustments for love, as most women did in earlier times. But when pushed beyond a point, she knows to walk away, like a girl with a more modern attitude would. She begins by prioritising Ram’s happiness but eventually learns to seek her own.  Were you worried about how people would perceive Shivani? Not really, because I knew that people will see the film through the point of view of the character they connect with. I realised this even more during theatre visits. The girls who identified with Shivani were very happy with her decision, while some boys who identified with Ram were wondering why I left him. Darling Krishna plays Ram, a man who grew up idolising his father and believes in male superiority. But life teaches him some lessons about masculinity, patriarchy and relationships with women.  Ram is not an easy role to sign up for. He is distinctly grey and not very likeable. What tempted you to accept it? I usually see the overall script and not just my role. I loved the film, and Ram is unlike any other character I’ve played. I knew he would grow likeable and become more like my normal screen avatars in the second half, but it’s always nice to play a role with negative tints.  Ram’s authoritarian nature is quite subtle. On the surface, he just looks like a strong person, but the toxic traits lurk beneath. How did you decide to play him? Both Milana (Krishna’s wife and co-star in the film) and I usually like to keep our performances natural. It’s very difficult for me to play an over-the-top character. Luckily, Ram was written that way too. You never see what’s lurking beneath the surface unless he chooses to reveal it. At a time when films glorify unequal, toxic relationships, how important is this film? It is a misconception to believe that only a certain kind of film will do well. At a time when action films and dark films were ruling the roost, I made the romantic drama Love Mocktail, and it was very well-received. We bucked the trend then. I knew Kousalya Supraja Rama would buck the current trend too.  Family audiences are always looking for films that will leave them feeling warm. They love the simple things, and stories they can relate to. I try to keep my films (those I direct and star in) relatable. I’ve always tried to break the mould. See, even this film does not have a single fight sequence.  That said, I did wonder how people would accept the story. But since people are now used to watching world cinema and are more accustomed to watching blunt home truths on screen, I was confident that they would understand this film’s reality too. And I give full credit to Shashank sir for envisioning it this way. You’re a director too. How easy is it to just be an actor on the sets? I am two different people, depending on the role I take on. I can easily blend into another’s vision. I am connected to the director and might offer some small inputs, but it’s up to the director to take them or not. When I sign up to act, I avoid getting into creative decisions.  Milana Nagaraj plays Muthulakshmi, an alcoholic who refuses to accept any help that comes her way. Even if it is from the now-reformed Rama, who tries his best to help without being condescending.  Milana in Kousalya Supraja Rama  Your Muthulakshmi is a rebel with some cause. She’s an alcoholic. How did you see her when reading the script? When Shashank sir approached me, I first rejected the film and told Krishna to never discuss it at home, because I did not want to feel that pressure. I am a teetotaller and have no idea how an alcoholic would behave. I don’t know what being drunk feels like, what a hangover is like. Even doing a single scene where I am drunk is difficult for me, but here I was supposed to be in that zone for half the film. Moreover, people are yet to forget my Nidhi (Milana’s character from Love Mocktail who is down-to-earth and enjoys simple things in life). If this character (Muthulakshmi) went wrong, it could affect me big time. Besides, I’ve not really liked the female alcoholic characters I’ve seen on screen so far. But after a month-and-a-half, I was game. I knew I had to work hard to play Muthu and get my research right, because the way a woman acts when drunk and the way a man behaves is very different. Did you have doubts about Muthu’s character being accepted by the audience? I was in a dilemma and was not able to sleep before the release. But Muthu is not a bad person, just a victim of her circumstances. In fact, strangely, I understood Muthu better after the film’s release and after seeing the audience's reception. I always saw the film from the point of view of Ram, but many who saw the film saw her as a victim. I missed out on that during rehearsals and shoot. It taught me that every film is made in the audience’s mind. And that every role can be seen from different perspectives. That even if I play it with a certain perceptive, it can be received from another. I see Kousalya Supraja Rama as a deeply progressive film, and when people come and mention the nuances, I am touched that they love and connect to Muthu so much.     #mc_embed_signup{background:#fff; clear:left; font:14px Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; } /* Add your own Mailchimp form style overrides in your site stylesheet or in this style block. We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. */ Sign up to get film reviews in your inbox * indicates required Email Address * Name    (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='MMERGE2';ftypes[2]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true);